Psalm 140, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Our Reluctance

Perhaps the most amazing response to God's gift is our reluctance to accept it. We feel better if we earn it. So we create religious hoops and hop through them-making God a trainer, us his pets, and religion a circus.

If only, when God smiles and says we are saved, we'd salute him, thank him, and live like those who've just received a gift from the commander in chief. We seldom do that, though. To accept grace is to admit failure. We opt to impress God with how good we are rather than confessing how great he is. We dizzy ourselves with doctrine.  Burden ourselves with rules. We think that God will smile on our efforts. But He doesn't. God's smile is not for the healthy hiker who boasts that he made the journey alone. It is, instead, for the crippled leper who begs God for a back on which to ride!

From In the Eye of the Storm

Psalm 140

A David Psalm

1–5  140 God, get me out of here, away from this evil;

protect me from these vicious people.

All they do is think up new ways to be bad;

they spend their days plotting war games.

They practice the sharp rhetoric of hate and hurt,

speak venomous words that maim and kill.

God, keep me out of the clutch of these wicked ones,

protect me from these vicious people;

Stuffed with self-importance, they plot ways to trip me up,

determined to bring me down.

These crooks invent traps to catch me

and do their best to incriminate me.

6–8  I prayed, “God, you’re my God!

Listen, God! Mercy!

God, my Lord, Strong Savior,

protect me when the fighting breaks out!

Don’t let the wicked have their way, God,

don’t give them an inch!”

9–11  These troublemakers all around me—

let them drown in their own verbal poison.

Let God pile hellfire on them,

let him bury them alive in crevasses!

These loudmouths—

don’t let them be taken seriously;

These savages—

let the Devil hunt them down!

12–13  I know that you, God, are on the side of victims,

that you care for the rights of the poor.

And I know that the righteous personally thank you,

that good people are secure in your presence.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Saturday, August 22, 2026

by Dave Branon

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Ephesians 4:26-32

  Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.

28  Did you use to make ends meet by stealing? Well, no more! Get an honest job so that you can help others who can’t work.

29  Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.

30  Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted.

31–32  Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.

Today's Insights

Ephesians 4:26-32 begins with an assumption that anger is inevitable: “In your anger do not sin” (v. 26). But Paul quickly guards against any sinful expression of anger: “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice” (v. 31). The emphasis in this passage, as in other epistles, isn’t only on behaviors that give the “devil a foothold” (v. 27) and “grieve the Holy Spirit” (v. 30). It’s also on what we replace our actions with as we “put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (v. 24). Our individual submission to God’s supernatural righteousness makes it possible to follow His example: “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (v. 32). In all our relationships, God can help us reflect the forgiving heart of Jesus.

RELATED CONTENT

ARTICLE

It Begins with Me: Ephesians 4

A Marriage Observed

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other. Ephesians 4:32

Of all United States presidents, Jimmy Carter had the longest marriage. He and his wife Rosalyn were married for seventy-seven years. When Carter was asked the secret to his long, successful marriage, he replied, “Choose the right person to marry.” Beyond that, he named three other concepts for marital success: reconciliation, communication, and devotion to faith.

We see the idea of reconciliation in Ephesians 4:26: “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.” The Carters took this seriously. “Every night, we try to make sure we’re completely reconciled from all the arguments during the day,” Jimmy once said. We can also see the secret to Christlike communication in Ephesians 4. Paul wrote, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (v. 32).

God ordained marriage as something good—something established by Him (Genesis 2:24; Hebrews 13:4). Proverbs 18:22 says that marriage is a divine blessing: “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.” And the way we treat one another, in marriage and in the entire body of Christ, can encourage and positively affect others. Whether we’re single or married, our words and actions can truly reflect the loving, forgiving heart of Christ.

Reflect & Pray

How can God help you reflect Christ in your relationships? What does it mean to be compassionate and forgiving today?

Dear Jesus, please help me to compassionately forgive others and point them to You. 

What does forgiveness look like? Is it a single act or a process? Do we wait until we feel ready to forgive? Do we require the other person to repent, or is forgiveness personal and internal, something we do for ourselves? If we forgive, does that mean we must immediately return to a persistently abusive relationship? You can read more for answers to these questions at the following link: https://www.odbm.org/en/spiritual-living/family-relationships/risking-forgiveness

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Saturday, August 22, 2026

I Indeed . . . but He

I indeed baptize you with water . . . but he . . . shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire. — Matthew 3:11 kjv

Have I ever come to a place in my experience where I can say, “I indeed . . . but he”? Until that moment comes, I will never know what the baptism of the Holy Spirit means. It means that “I indeed” am at an end; I can do nothing more. “But he” begins right there—he does what no one else can do.

“But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry” (Matthew 3:11). Am I prepared for his coming? Jesus cannot come to me as long as there’s something inside me blocking his way. It doesn’t matter whether the thing is bad or good, sin or something I consider a personal quality. When he comes, I must be prepared for him to drag everything into the light. Wherever I know I am unclean, he will put his feet. Wherever I think I am clean, he will withdraw them. Repentance doesn’t bring a sense of sin but a sense of total unworthiness. When I repent, I realize that I am completely helpless; I know that no part of me is worthy even to carry his sandals. Have I repented like that? Or do I have a lingering urge to defend myself? The reason God cannot come into my life is because I haven’t entered completely into repentance.

“He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11). John doesn’t speak of the baptism of the Holy Spirit as an experience. He speaks of it as a work performed by Jesus Christ. The only conscious experience those who are baptized with the Holy Spirit ever have is a sense of being absolutely unworthy.

“I indeed” was unworthy, “but he” came, and a marvelous thing happened. Get to the place in the margin where he does everything.

Psalms 110-112; 1 Corinthians 5

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

We are not to preach the doing of good things; good deeds are not to be preached, they are to be performed.

So Send I You, 1330 L

Psalm 139, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: PRAY IT THROUGH - August 21, 2026

No verse in the Bible promises the absence of struggle. Quite the contrary. Scripture is stained with tears, problems, injustices, immorality, and wars. Tough times come with life. But troubling times don’t have to take the life out of your life.

God gives us this invitation: “Pray it through.” It is what troubles you, fatigues you, shames you. It won’t have the last word. God will. Prayer slaps handcuffs on the culprit. Prayer marches the problem into the presence of God, the One who can solve it.

The prophet Elijah is remembered as an example of radical prayer. He is living proof that “when a believing person prays, great things happen” (James 5:16 NCV).

Unbreakable Courage

Psalm 139

A David Psalm

1–6  139 God, investigate my life;

get all the facts firsthand.

I’m an open book to you;

even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking.

You know when I leave and when I get back;

I’m never out of your sight.

You know everything I’m going to say

before I start the first sentence.

I look behind me and you’re there,

then up ahead and you’re there, too—

your reassuring presence, coming and going.

This is too much, too wonderful—

I can’t take it all in!

7–12  Is there any place I can go to avoid your Spirit?

to be out of your sight?

If I climb to the sky, you’re there!

If I go underground, you’re there!

If I flew on morning’s wings

to the far western horizon,

You’d find me in a minute—

you’re already there waiting!

Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark!

At night I’m immersed in the light!”

It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you;

night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you.

13–16  Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;

you formed me in my mother’s womb.

I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!

Body and soul, I am marvelously made!

I worship in adoration—what a creation!

You know me inside and out,

you know every bone in my body;

You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,

how I was sculpted from nothing into something.

Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;

all the stages of my life were spread out before you,

The days of my life all prepared

before I’d even lived one day.

17–22  Your thoughts—how rare, how beautiful!

God, I’ll never comprehend them!

I couldn’t even begin to count them—

any more than I could count the sand of the sea.

Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you!

And please, God, do away with wickedness for good!

And you murderers—out of here!—

all the men and women who belittle you, God,

infatuated with cheap god-imitations.

See how I hate those who hate you, God,

see how I loathe all this godless arrogance;

I hate it with pure, unadulterated hatred.

Your enemies are my enemies!

23–24  Investigate my life, O God,

find out everything about me;

Cross-examine and test me,

get a clear picture of what I’m about;

See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—

then guide me on the road to eternal life.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Friday, August 21, 2026

by Mike Wittmer

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

2 Timothy 4:1-8

I can’t impress this on you too strongly. God is looking over your shoulder. Christ himself is the Judge, with the final say on everyone, living and dead. He is about to break into the open with his rule, so proclaim the Message with intensity; keep on your watch. Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don’t ever quit. Just keep it simple.

3–5  You’re going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food—catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. They’ll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages. But you—keep your eye on what you’re doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God’s servant.

6–8  You take over. I’m about to die, my life an offering on God’s altar. This is the only race worth running. I’ve run hard right to the finish, believed all the way. All that’s left now is the shouting—God’s applause! Depend on it, he’s an honest judge. He’ll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for his coming.

Today's Insights

While encouraging Timothy to be faithful to his ministerial calling, Paul summarized his own service for Christ and what he looked forward to after he died: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day” (2 Timothy 4:7-8). As the apostle anticipated his departure from labor to reward (v. 6), he was conscious of what really mattered in life. Each believer in Jesus has been given different tasks to do on this earth. With the Spirit’s help, we can strive to do them faithfully. We all long to hear the voice of Christ, our Savior, say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21).

Paul’s Last Words: 2 Timothy 4

Faithfully Serving Others

Discharge all the duties of your ministry. 2 Timothy 4:5

On a Thursday, in the church’s fellowship hall, sandwiches and watermelon slices were set out, waiting to be consumed by mourners sitting on metal folding chairs placed on stained carpet. It was a perfectly normal funeral, except for the preacher. He was a well-known speaker who has preached to stadiums full of thousands. Now he was speaking just as enthusiastically to this weekday gathering.

Paul told his protégé Timothy, “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season . . . . discharge all the duties of your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:2-5). All the duties. Not only the big ones performed on large stages with bright lights. Also ordinary, weekday duties. The speeches that won’t be recorded and broadcast for generations to come. The tasks that few will see. Do those well too.

Because someone is watching. Paul told Timothy he was serving “in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead” (v. 1). Your platform may be small, but your audience could not be more important. Jesus waits expectantly for your service. Do it for Him, relying on the power of His Spirit. He will be honored as you humbly, faithfully minister to others.

Reflect & Pray

How much heart are you putting into your everyday tasks? How would God have you think about your ordinary jobs on this ordinary day?

Heavenly Father, may I serve You and others faithfully today.

You can use these six devotions help you start an ongoing conversation with the God that always shows up for His children. He desires to hear everything—every ordinary, mundane, and small detail of your life:  Praying Through Ordinary Life

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Friday, August 21, 2026

The Ministry of the Unnoticed

Blessed are the poor in spirit. — Matthew 5:3

The New Testament notices things we completely overlook. When Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” he is elevating a state which counts for nothing according to our standards—the state of being poor. Today’s preaching tends to emphasize dazzling, easily noticed qualities, like strength of will or beauty of character. We often hear preachers telling us to “decide for Christ,” placing the emphasis on our own effort and “goodness”—things our Lord never trusted. He never asks us to decide for him. He asks us to yield to him, which is very different.

At the bedrock of Jesus Christ’s kingdom is the unaffected loveliness of the commonplace. What I am blessed in is my poverty. If I know I have no strength of will, no nobility of disposition, Jesus says I am blessed; it’s through this poverty that I enter his kingdom. I can’t enter his kingdom as a “good” man or woman; I can enter only as a pauper.

The true character of the loveliness that counts for God is always unconscious. Conscious influence is smug and self-righteous and unchristian. If I start looking for evidence of my own usefulness, I instantly lose the bloom of the Lord’s touch. “Whoever believes in me,” Jesus said, “rivers of living water will flow from within them” (John 7:38). If I examine the outflow, I lose the touch of the Lord.

Who are the people who have influenced us most? Not the ones who thought they did, but those without the slightest notion of their impact, those who radiated the unconscious loveliness of the Lord’s touch. We always know when Jesus is at work in someone’s life, because he produces something inspiring in the midst of the commonplace.

Psalms 107-109; 1 Corinthians 4

 

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

No one could have had a more sensitive love in human relationship than Jesus; and yet He says there are times when love to father and mother must be hatred in comparison to our love for Him.  

So Send I You, 1301 L

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Friday, August 21, 2026

Your Eyes - Where Sin Begins - #10335

Scripture:  Matthew 6:22-23

I think my son was about four the first time we played baseball together, and I taught him with a plastic Wiffle bat and Wiffle ball. I remember telling him rule number one of baseball even then, and really of other sports too. I said, "Now, son, keep your eye on the ball." Well, I've told him that lots of times over his growing up years, and it wasn't always about baseball. Whenever he's had trouble with his hitting, which has improved, it usually was because he wasn't watching where he should be.

Now, of course, he's a grown man with a family of his own. We recently went outside with a ball and bat. He threw and I attempted to hit the ball. You can probably guess what's coming. I wasn't connecting. So he gave me a little advice, "Hey, Dad, keep your eye on the ball!" The tables have turned.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Your Eyes - Where Sin Begins."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Matthew 6:22-23. Jesus is talking about the importance of our eyes in following Him and what we should be keeping our eyes on and off of. It's a lesson in how not to strike out spiritually. Listen to His words: "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness."

Now, Jesus here is not talking about your need for an optometrist or getting stronger glasses. He's talking about the fact that your eyes are the point of entry for everything you think about, and what you think about is what turns out to be the beginning point of the actions you commit. So your eyes gather input that is sent to your brain and stored there, and then as the Bible says, "As a man thinks in his heart so is he." But it all begins at eye level.

Do you remember what Jesus had just said in the previous chapter, Matthew 5:28? He said, "I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." There are the eyes again. The place you have to stop sexual sin is at eye level. It's like baseball. If your eye is on the right thing, you'll be okay. If your eye is looking at the wrong thing, you're going to fail. No Christians have ever had to live with the bombardment of sexual images that we get daily. Nobody's ever had the media we have, and we get so much we're almost numb to it.

See, a fundamental discipline of a Jesus follower has to be training your eyes. It's a firm resolve that you just won't look at what is suggested. When a billboard appears with a provocative picture, you just commit yourself to instantly look the other way; you don't even consider what you'll do. When a magazine ad, or a TV channel, an Internet website; maybe you're jumping around and you're looking at all kinds of channels or websites and suddenly there's this sexually attractive image in front of you. You could linger. But no, you can't afford to do that. You move on quickly.

Training your eyes is as practical as simply not allowing your eyes to wander beyond the face of the opposite sex or just turning away. There's a powerful temptation isn't there to linger, to fanaticize, to kind of work it over in your mind, to let your eyes sin? You say, "Well, I didn't do anything." And yet the Bible says that if it's gotten to your eyes, then through them you are full of darkness. That's what Jesus taught us.

Every time you linger on a sexually tempting image, you send ammunition to your enemy - ammunition you can be guaranteed he will use to defeat you spiritually. So you've got to avoid spiritual strike outs, and that begins with training your eyes.

Luke 23:26-56, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: FAITHFUL OBEDIENCE - August 20, 2026

We’d prefer to fill a storehouse with a lifetime’s worth of courage, cash, and convictions. Yet God wants us to trust him day by day. Elijah’s word to the widow is God’s word to us: “The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry” (1 Kings 17:14 NIV). Elijah spoke to her with faith; she responded in faith. She turned and obeyed.

In order to swim upstream in a downstream culture, we, like the widow, have to make a choice. Will we obey God? When you are weary, God is your strength. Lonely, God is your friend. Weak, God is your provider. Fortitude follows faithful obedience. Do what the widow did. Go to the kitchen, empty the jar of oil and flour, trust. The God who filled it today will fill it again tomorrow.

Unbreakable Courage

Luke 23:26-56

Skull Hill

26–31  As they led him off, they made Simon, a man from Cyrene who happened to be coming in from the countryside, carry the cross behind Jesus. A huge crowd of people followed, along with women weeping and carrying on. At one point Jesus turned to the women and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t cry for me. Cry for yourselves and for your children. The time is coming when they’ll say, ‘Lucky the women who never conceived! Lucky the wombs that never gave birth! Lucky the breasts that never gave milk!’ Then they’ll start calling to the mountains, ‘Fall down on us!’ calling to the hills, ‘Cover us up!’ If people do these things to a live, green tree, can you imagine what they’ll do with deadwood?”

32  Two others, both criminals, were taken along with him for execution.

33  When they got to the place called Skull Hill, they crucified him, along with the criminals, one on his right, the other on his left.

34–35  Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them; they don’t know what they’re doing.”

Dividing up his clothes, they threw dice for them. The people stood there staring at Jesus, and the ringleaders made faces, taunting, “He saved others. Let’s see him save himself! The Messiah of God—ha! The Chosen—ha!”

36–37  The soldiers also came up and poked fun at him, making a game of it. They toasted him with sour wine: “So you’re King of the Jews! Save yourself!”

38  Printed over him was a sign: this is the king of the jews.

39  One of the criminals hanging alongside cursed him: “Some Messiah you are! Save yourself! Save us!”

40–41  But the other one made him shut up: “Have you no fear of God? You’re getting the same as him. We deserve this, but not him—he did nothing to deserve this.”

42  Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you enter your kingdom.”

43  He said, “Don’t worry, I will. Today you will join me in paradise.”

44–46  By now it was noon. The whole earth became dark, the darkness lasting three hours—a total blackout. The Temple curtain split right down the middle. Jesus called loudly, “Father, I place my life in your hands!” Then he breathed his last.

47  When the captain there saw what happened, he honored God: “This man was innocent! A good man, and innocent!”

48–49  All who had come around as spectators to watch the show, when they saw what actually happened, were overcome with grief and headed home. Those who knew Jesus well, along with the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a respectful distance and kept vigil.

50–54  There was a man by the name of Joseph, a member of the Jewish High Council, a man of good heart and good character. He had not gone along with the plans and actions of the council. His hometown was the Jewish village of Arimathea. He lived in alert expectation of the kingdom of God. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Taking him down, he wrapped him in a linen shroud and placed him in a tomb chiseled into the rock, a tomb never yet used. It was the day before Sabbath, the Sabbath just about to begin.

55–56  The women who had been companions of Jesus from Galilee followed along. They saw the tomb where Jesus’ body was placed. Then they went back to prepare burial spices and perfumes. They rested quietly on the Sabbath, as commanded.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Thursday, August 20, 2026

By Katara Patton

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Matthew 5:13-16

Salt and Light

13  “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.

14–16  “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

Today's Insights

When we receive God’s gift of salvation, He begins His work of transformation in us. He does this through the Bible, God’s wisdom to us: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). As we read and meditate on the Scriptures, we learn about Him and what it means to be “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). Through prayer, we come to Him for strength and guidance. And, as believers in Jesus, the Holy Spirit living inside us “will guide us into all the truth” (John 16:13). The Spirit helps us to understand and live out the gospel and to “shine” in this dark world by our words and actions, drawing others to Christ, the source of Light.

Learn more about having a personal relationship with God.

Shine Christ’s Light

Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16

In the dimly lit restaurant, our waitress quietly took our orders with a solemn expression. But then a customer kindly gave her a writing pen that had a little flashlight built into it. He told her it was so she could “see in the dark.”

Her face lit up, and her demeanor changed to reflect joy. It was evident that she was delighted by the gift—clicking the light off and on. When she left our table, the man smiled as he whispered to me, “I think she brightened up when I gave her the pen. It made her day!”

The God-given gift of light certainly brightens our days. Jesus is the ultimate gift of light—“light . . . come into the world” to save the world (John 3:16-19). God provided this gift because He loves us and wants to be in relationship with us. When we receive Christ as our Savior, our sins are forgiven, and we experience fellowship with Him. Jesus brightens our lives for all eternity. He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (8:12).

As believers in Jesus, we’re “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). When we receive the gift God gave us through Christ, we can walk in His light and “let [our] light shine before others” (v. 16). With Him as our source, let’s shine for Him today!

Reflect & Pray

How are you revealing the light of Christ? How can you brighten someone’s life this day?

Heavenly Father, please help me shine Your love and light to others today.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Thursday, August 20, 2026

Completeness

And I will give you rest. — Matthew 11:28

Whenever anything begins to disintegrate your life with Jesus Christ, turn to him at once and ask him to establish rest. Never allow anything that is causing dis-peace to remain. Treat every disturbance as something to wrestle against, not as something to endure. Say to the Lord, “Establish your consciousness in me.” Christ-consciousness will come, self-consciousness will go, and he will be all in all.

If you allow self-consciousness to continue, by slow degrees it will awaken self-pity, and self-pity is satanic. The self-pitying person thinks along these lines: “No one understands me; I’m owed an apology; I have to keep making my point until other people accept it.” Leave other people alone. Ask the Lord to give you Christ-consciousness, and he will steady you until your completeness in him is absolute.

The complete life is the life of the child. The child of God is not conscious of the will of God, because the child is the will of God. When you are consciously conscious, something is wrong; it is the sick person who knows what health is. If you are consciously asking God, “What is your will?” it’s a sign that you have deviated, however slightly, from his will. The child of God never prays to be conscious that God answers prayer. The child of God is restfully certain that God always does answer prayer.

Never try to overcome self-consciousness using common sense. You will only succeed in strengthening it. You must do what Jesus says: “Come to me . . . and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Wherever Jesus comes, he establishes rest—the perfect rest of activity that is unconscious of itself.

Psalms 105-106; 1 Corinthians 3

 

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

The great thing about faith in God is that it keeps a man undisturbed in the midst of disturbance.

Notes on Isaiah, 1376 R

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Thursday, August 20, 2026

Light in Your Dark Night - #10334

Our sons worked for many years on a Native American reservation. And it was one of the few places on that dark reservation. Dark because so few people had been reached for Christ and so few had any Christmas decorations up. But I was always impressed with that one village church where they had a lot of lights outlining all their church buildings, and there was a cross covered with lights on top of the church's steeple. It was pretty impressive. One Christmas I had a chance to visit there and I got to see the lights of the church and that cross. And, man, the cross really stands out against the darkness. And I met Rose. She's a Native woman who attends that church. Those lights are an important part of her story actually. She said, "I have struggled with alcohol for many years. And one night, during the Christmas season, I hit bottom. I was in the pit. I wandered outside and there it was – the cross all lit up in front of me. I came to where the cross was," she said, "and with the help of the pastor's wife, I finally found hope that night."

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Light in Your Dark Night."

As that Native woman discovered that night when it was especially dark for her, the shape of hope is the cross of Jesus. For her, and maybe for you right now.

In our word for today from the Word of God in Ephesians 2:12, the Bible describes in eight little words how so many people feel. It talks about being (here we go!) "without hope and without God in the world." "Without hope" describes the feeling that things are always going to be like they've always been, I'm never going to change, my life is never going to change, I'll always come up empty, I'll always come up lonely, I'm always going to come up confused, I'm always going to come up feeling worthless. The habits, the failures, the weaknesses that have always brought me down, they're always going to bring me down. Rose, the woman I met at that reservation church, said it was like being "in the pit."

And the Bible suggests that the ultimate reason we are "without hope" is because we are "without God." That doesn't mean you don't believe in God or even know a lot about God. It means you don't have the personal love relationship with God that you were made for. We're without God because we've chosen to turn our backs on Him and run our own lives instead of letting Him run them. So the One who has all the meaning, all the love, and all the answers we've looked for our whole life is on the other side of a wall, and that wall is called sin.

Thankfully, this "without hope" statement in the Bible is followed by that hopeful word "but." "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near." Wow! Now, how does that happen? "Through the blood of Christ" it says. So we find ourselves at the same place Rose found herself that night she found hope - at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ. Why is this shedding of His blood on the cross so important? Because, as the Bible says, "Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness" (Hebrews 9:22). Sin has a death penalty, and a death penalty can only be paid by someone dying. And Jesus did so you don't have to.

When you put your total trust in Jesus to be your personal Savior from your personal sin, you're forgiven of every sin. You're guaranteed heaven when you die. You receive His power to change what you've never been able to change. It doesn't have to be the way it's always been. Hope is born when you follow the light of God to the cross of Jesus.

And that's where He's leading you this very day. It's what our website's all about, and that's why I want to ask you to go there. Let this be your hope destination today - ANewStory.com.

Hope is in the shape of a cross. And hope is born for you when you come to that cross and you say these two words that change everything, "For me. It was for me."

Psalm 138, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily:SUFFICIENCY IN ALL THINGS - August 19, 2026

Soon after I began following Jesus, I sensed a desire to write Christian books. I cobbled together a manuscript and mailed it to fifteen publishers. Fourteen rejected it. I was beginning to think I should take the hint when one said, “Yes.” Before I knew it, my writing ministry was airborne.

It’s been over forty years and nearly fifty books. I seem to have more book ideas than I have time to write them. I am a testimony to God’s provision. Trust him. If he calls you, he will equip you. He will give you what you need when you need it.

“God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8 NKJV).

Unbreakable Courage

Psalm 138

A David Psalm

1–3  138 Thank you! Everything in me says “Thank you!”

Angels listen as I sing my thanks.

I kneel in worship facing your holy temple

and say it again: “Thank you!”

Thank you for your love,

thank you for your faithfulness;

Most holy is your name,

most holy is your Word.

The moment I called out, you stepped in;

you made my life large with strength.

4–6  When they hear what you have to say, God,

all earth’s kings will say “Thank you.”

They’ll sing of what you’ve done:

“How great the glory of God!”

And here’s why: God, high above, sees far below;

no matter the distance, he knows everything about us.

7–8  When I walk into the thick of trouble,

keep me alive in the angry turmoil.

With one hand

strike my foes,

With your other hand

save me.

Finish what you started in me, God.

Your love is eternal—don’t quit on me now.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Wednesday, August 19, 2026

by Kenneth Petersen

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Psalm 68:1-4, 19-20, 32-35

 Up with God!

Down with his enemies!

Adversaries, run for the hills!

Gone like a puff of smoke,

like a blob of wax in the fire—

one look at God and the wicked vanish.

When the righteous see God in action

they’ll laugh, they’ll sing,

they’ll laugh and sing for joy.

Sing hymns to God;

all heaven, sing out;

clear the way for the coming of Cloud-Rider.

Enjoy God,

cheer when you see him!

19–23  Blessed be the Lord—

day after day he carries us along.

He’s our Savior, our God, oh yes!

He’s God-for-us, he’s God-who-saves-us.

Lord God knows all

death’s ins and outs.

32–34  Sing, O kings of the earth!

Sing praises to the Lord!

There he is: Sky-Rider,

striding the ancient skies.

Listen—he’s calling in thunder,

rumbling, rolling thunder.

Call out “Bravo!” to God,

the High God of Israel.

His splendor and strength

rise huge as thunderheads.

35  A terrible beauty, O God,

streams from your sanctuary.

It’s Israel’s strong God! He gives

power and might to his people!

O you, his people—bless God!

Today's Insights

Psalm 68 celebrates God as a mighty warrior who’ll defeat evil (vv. 1-2). It draws on the imagery of the song in Exodus 15 that celebrates God delivering His people from Egypt. In Psalm 68, He’s depicted as “[riding] on the clouds” (v. 4) while scattering “his enemies” (v. 1). The retelling of the exodus deliverance concludes by describing a victory parade that ends with God dwelling and reigning as king (v. 18).

The rest of Psalm 68 (vv. 19-35) praises the enthroned God, recognizing that His people are completely dependent on Him. The psalm entreats, “Summon your power, God; show us your strength, our God, as you have done before” (v. 28). God is a gentle warrior who fights for justice, who “leads out the prisoners with singing” (v. 6) and “daily bears our burdens” (v. 19). Today, as we reflect on the awesomeness of God, we can celebrate His great love for us.

Awesome God

You, God, are awesome in your sanctuary. Psalm 68:35

As a landscape photographer, I’m drawn to photos I find online. Recently I came across “10 of the Most Breathtaking Places in the U.S.” A photo of a geothermal spring depicts a massive basin of multicolored luminescence. A snapshot of the Hoh Rain Forest shows a dense, mossy forest that looks like something straight out of The Hobbit. A stunning picture taken in Monument Valley, Arizona, could be a panorama of Mars.

These awesome images make me think of our awesome God. In Psalm 68, David gushes about God’s majesty: “Sing to God . . . extol him who rides on the clouds” (v. 4). Vividly, the psalmist proclaims God’s power over enemies: “May you blow them away like smoke” (v. 2). Yet God’s sheer majesty and power are contrasted with His intimate love: “Praise be to the Lord . . . who daily bears our burdens” (v. 19). David’s epic psalm reaches a climax with his breathless praise: “You, God, are awesome” (v. 35).

In landscape photographs, I find both immensity and intimacy. The sheer expanse of these vistas speaks personally to my soul. It makes me wonder if the landscapes of our world are really glimpses of God Himself—reflections of how He’s awesomely immense and breathtakingly loving. In that light, might we look for His reflected beauty around us today. When we see it, we might whisper to Him, “You, God, are awesome.”

Reflect & Pray

What visual experience has reminded you of God’s awesome ways? What about God does that reflect?

Dear God, please help me see Your breathtaking beauty.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Wednesday, August 19, 2026

Self-Consciousness

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened. — Matthew 11:28

God intends for us to live a full-orbed life in Jesus Christ, a life defined by an unworrying oneness with him. But there are times when that life is attacked from the outside, when we find ourselves tumbling back into a habit of introspection we thought had gone. Self-consciousness is the first thing that will upset the completeness of our life in God, because it produces a continual wrestling. Self-consciousness isn’t sin. It may be caused by a nervous temperament or by suddenly finding ourselves in new circumstances. But it’s never God’s will that we should be less than absolutely complete in him. Anything that disturbs our rest in him must be cured at once.

“Come to me.” You can’t cure self-consciousness by ignoring it; the only cure is to come to Jesus Christ. When we come to him and ask him to produce Christ-consciousness, he will do it, over and over again, until we learn to abide in him.

If your life in Christ is no longer whole, don’t refuse to face the problem. Beware of anything that splits up your oneness with him, whether it be the influence of friends or of circumstances. Beware of anything that makes you see yourself as separate from your Lord. Nothing is as important as keeping whole spiritually. The great solution is the simple one: “Come to me.” The depth of our reality—intellectually, morally, and spiritually—is tested by these words. In every matter in which we are not real, we will argue with God rather than come.

Psalms 103-104; 1 Corinthians 2

 

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

A fanatic is one who entrenches himself in invincible ignorance.

Baffled to Fight Better, 59 R

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Wednesday, August 19, 2026

Life-Saving Messengers - #10333

Scripture:  2 Corinthians 5:19-20

I used to tell our kids, "You don't have to go to a party. Carry the party inside you wherever you go!" Our five-year-old grandson never heard that, but I think he got the idea. He could find a way to enjoy himself in just about any situation, with friends or alone, with his toys, or better yet as far as he was concerned, with just like the everyday stuff he found. I remember he and I were in my study, a few rooms away from the living room where his three-year-old brother and his Mommy were. Little brother decided to check out what big brother and I were doing, and big brother had an idea. His brother could be a messenger. So our five-year-old started writing little messages to his mother, which he then rolled up and dispatched his little brother to deliver. Mommy got the idea, and so she would write back an answer to every message. The shuttle went back and forth three times, I think. Big brother then wrote another message, but this time the messenger didn't show up. He had clocked out. So the message never got delivered.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Life-Saving Messengers."

Jesus has a message that He wants delivered to some people you know - some people you see all the time. The price of His message not getting through to them could be an awful eternity. He's counting on you to be the messenger.

He makes that clear in our word for today from the Word of God in 2 Corinthians 5:19-20, where the Bible says, "We are Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God." If you belong to Jesus Christ, you are His ambassador to the place where you live, the place where you work, the place you go to school, the place you "recreate," the place you shop.

When the President appoints an ambassador to a particular country, he's counting on his ambassador to deliver his messages, right? The things that he wants communicated. Whether you realize it or not, you've been assigned by the highest authority in the universe, by Jesus himself, to deliver His message to the folks around you. And that message is life-or-death information. But as our grandson found out with his little brother, when the messenger dies, the message dies. And in the case of Jesus' message about His death for our sins, people you know may die if you don't deliver it.

That's the awful picture of messenger failure in Ezekiel 33:7. It says, "I have made you a watchman...give them warning from Me...When I say to the wicked" - today that's anyone who has not had their sin forgiven by giving themselves to Jesus, and you know people like that - "When I say to the wicked you will surely die,' and you do not speak to warn him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood." Blood on our hands because of the silence of our lips. Don't let that happen to you. Don't let that happen to the people God's counting on you to tell about His Son. Whatever fear of what might happen if you told them about Jesus, could it possibly be as fearful as what will happen if you don't tell them?

Jack Phillips was the radioman for the Titanic. Two hours before the Titanic's fatal collision with an iceberg, Phillips got this radio message from another ship, describing the coordinates of the exact ice field that later doomed the Titanic. But instead of delivering that information to the captain, he stuck it on a spindle to deliver it later. That mistake cost him his life and the lives of 1,500 passengers that night. All because the life-or-death message he had was never delivered.

Don't make that mistake with the message Jesus has given to you to be delivered. Don't let your delay cost them heaven. His message is in your hands.

Psalm 110, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: IT’S NOT JUST YOU - August 18, 2026

“There was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord” (1 Kings 17:15-16 NIV). Each day Elijah, the widow, and her son gathered around a table and had a miracle for a meal. Heaven’s delivery system continued as long as the trio needed it.

Jesus spoke of God’s faithful generosity. “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you…?” (Matthew 6:30 ESV). You aren’t one scoop away from empty. It’s not just you and your depleted energy. It’s not just you and your concerns. You don’t face the assignment alone. If it’s God’s will, it’s God’s bill.

Unbreakable Courage

Psalm 110

A David Prayer

1–3  110 The word of God to my Lord:

“Sit alongside me here on my throne

until I make your enemies a stool for your feet.”

You were forged a strong scepter by God of Zion;

now rule, though surrounded by enemies!

Your people will freely join you, resplendent in holy armor

on the great day of your conquest,

Join you at the fresh break of day,

join you with all the vigor of youth.

4–7  God gave his word and he won’t take it back:

you’re the permanent priest, the Melchizedek priest.

The Lord stands true at your side,

crushing kings in his terrible wrath,

Bringing judgment on the nations,

handing out convictions wholesale,

crushing opposition across the wide earth.

The King-Maker put his King on the throne;

the True King rules with head held high!

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Tuesday, August 18, 2026

By Patricia Raybon

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Mark 10:13-16

 The people brought children to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus was irate and let them know it: “Don’t push these children away. Don’t ever get between them and me. These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.” Then, gathering the children up in his arms, he laid his hands of blessing on them.

Today's Insights

The scene from today’s Scripture passage (Mark 10:13-16) occurs not long after Jesus had made another comment about children. As Christ and the disciples were “[passing] through Galilee” (9:30), His disciples got into a quarrel about which of them was the greatest (vv. 33-34). Jesus knew what they’d been discussing, of course, but He didn’t preach a sermon against their sinful ambition. Instead, “He took a little child whom he placed among them” and said, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me” (vv. 36-37). His object lesson about humility was obvious. That’s why it’s surprising when they “rebuked” people who were literally “bringing little children to Jesus” (10:13). They still hadn’t learned that “the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (v. 14). As we express our childlike trust in Christ, we’ll want to welcome all who’re overlooked and undervalued.

For further study, read A Child’s Compassion.

Loving Children as God Does

The kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Mark 10:14

All summer long, the children in the house behind ours spend hours swinging on their swing set. Their noisy swing set. Its creaky noise doesn’t bother the children who seem, some days, to swing endlessly. Complaining, I asked my husband why their parents don’t oil the swing. Praying about it, however, I noticed a change in my heart. I could see the children’s laughter and joy bursting from the trust they find in their family’s yard, and in having parents within calling distance nearby.

Jesus spoke of such trust when speaking of children. People were bringing their children to Jesus so He could bless them, but His annoyed disciples scolded the parents, rebuking them (Mark 10:13).

Seeing this, Christ “was indignant” (v. 14). “Let the little children come to me,” He told them, “and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” He added, “Anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it” (vv. 14-15).

He’d already taught His disciples this when they’d argued who among them was greatest. Taking a child in His arms, on another occasion, Jesus said, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me” (9:37). Demonstrating the same idea, “He took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them” (10:16). What beautiful reminders to be childlike in our trust in Jesus.

Reflect & Pray

What do you enjoy about the joy of children? How can you learn to love those who annoy you at times?

Please grow my love for others, ever-present and loving God.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Have You Ever Been Speechless with Sadness?

When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. — Luke 18:23

The rich young ruler went away speechless with sorrow. He had no confusion about what Jesus Christ had told him, no doubt about what it meant, and it produced a sadness beyond words.

Have you ever been in this place of speechless sadness? Has God’s word come to you about something you’re very rich in and told you to “sell everything you have” (Luke 18:22)? Perhaps you are rich in your temperament or in your personal relationships of heart and mind. Perhaps God has told you to give them up, and you haven’t done it. If so, you’ve often been speechless with sorrow. The Lord won’t plead with you, but every time he meets you on that point, he will repeat, “If you want to follow me, these are the conditions.”

“Sell everything you have.” Strip yourself of everything that might be considered a possession, until you stand before God as a mere conscious being, and then offer yourself. This is where the battle is fought: in the domain of the will before God.

Are you more devoted to your idea of what Jesus wants than to Jesus himself? Then you are likely to hear him say something to you that will produce sorrow. What Jesus says is hard, but to those who have his disposition inside them, it’s easy. Beware of allowing anything to soften the hard things Jesus says.

You can be so rich in the consciousness that you are somebody that you will never be a disciple of Jesus. Or you can be so rich in the consciousness that you are nobody, so convinced of your poverty, that you’ll never be a disciple. Are you willing to give up the idea that you have nothing to give up? If not, you are bound to be discouraged. Discouragement is disenchanted self-love, and self-love may be love of your devotion to Jesus.

Psalms 100-102; 1 Corinthians 1

 

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

Much of the misery in our Christian life comes not because the devil tackles us, but because we have never understood the simple laws of our make-up. We have to treat the body as the servant of Jesus Christ: when the body says “Sit,” and He says “Go,” go! When the body says “Eat,” and He says “Fast,” fast! When the body says “Yawn,” and He says “Pray,” pray!

Biblical Ethics, 107 R

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Knowing the Words, Knowing the Lord - #10332

Scripture:  Mark 7:6

A friend of ours is an avid hunter. In fact, so much that he's been known to skip church occasionally during duck hunting season. He's well known in the church, so the pastor notices when he's not there. With a twinkle in his eye, our friend explained recently how he's prepared to handle pastoral questions like, "Where were you on Sunday?" He said he's actually named his duck blinds where he hides to hunt those birds. One he has named "The Word." The other is named "Prayer." So when the pastor asks where he was on Sunday, he simply answers, "I was in 'The Word,'" or, "I was in 'Prayer.'" That's messed up!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Knowing the Words, Knowing the Lord."

Obviously, this is a hunter who understands the value of camouflage, as in the value of hiding behind some wonderful spiritual words. While his words are meant to be more whimsical than deceptive, they illustrate a deeper and more dangerous issue that is rampant among us church folks. We know how to use all the right Christian words and have just the right Christian look. We put it on every time we walk in the church door, but often it's camouflage that's covering up some issues in our life that aren't Christian at all.

Jesus put it this way in Mark 7:6, our word for today from the Word of God: "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." You can say all the good, God-honoring things and still underneath have a heart that is far from Him. A life that has, beneath all that spiritual camouflage, some attitudes or actions that have no place in a child of God, someone who's been rescued at the price of the blood of God's Son.

We forget that God doesn't look at the "outward appearance" but "at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). In other words, the only One who really matters is not fooled by our Christian words. Your whole relationship with Him, His blessing on your life, is all about the condition of your heart.

Could it be that you've been hiding some serious un-repented sin under the camouflage of those beautiful spiritual words? You can be talking about prayer and Bible study in the morning and swimming in the cesspool of Internet pornography at night. Your Christian words can mask all kinds of hidden bitterness, lust and deception, or a compartmentalized life that's all about Jesus in the God-compartment, but all about you at work, at school, or at home.

You can even try to put Christian words on things that are anything but Christian. You can call it conviction, God calls it stubbornness; you call it compassion, God calls it compromise; you call it love, God calls it immorality or adultery. Isn't it time you looked in the mirror and maybe saw the hypocrite behind the beautiful words? There's freedom, there's forgiveness and there's integrity waiting for you at the cross of Jesus Christ, where you need to bring all the sin that's been hiding behind all that spirituality.

One of the greatest dangers of being in a Christian environment is that you can know the words and never know the Lord. You can have a religion that's all about Jesus and never have Jesus. Jesus said there will be people like that on Judgment Day to whom He will say, "I never knew you."

Could it be you've got Christianity but you don't have Christ? You've mistaken agreeing with Jesus for being committed to Jesus, and that mistake will cost you heaven. But today Jesus brought us together so you can experience what it is to know Him for real. Make this the day you say, "Lord, all this time I've missed You. But I want You in my heart, not just in my head. I'm Yours."

Listen, our website is set up as a place where you can go and actually make sure you belong to Him. Would you go there? It's ANewStory.com.

It isn't the rhetoric of Jesus that matters; it's the reality of Jesus. So come to Him today as you really are. There's so much you've been missing. You can have it today.

Psalm 109, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: SPIRITUAL REMEMBRANCE - August 17, 2026

Zarephath was a Gentile city occupied by Baal worshippers. The chief of the city had a daughter named Jezebel, Elijah’s archenemy. Elijah arrives with nothing. His purse and tummy are empty. Elijah spots a woman. Emaciated. Destitute. I envision Elijah stepping in her direction, and beneath his beard a smile is taking shape as he reviews God’s blessings. Protection in the court of Ahab, provision in the paucity of Kerith, and a shield of safety during the trek to Zarephath.

In your case would the God who gave you grace last week not give you grace again? Unbreakable courage requires good recall. Spiritual amnesia makes spiritual wimps. Spiritual remembrance makes spiritual giants.

Unbreakable Courage

Psalm 109

A David Prayer

1–5  109 My God, don’t turn a deaf ear to my hallelujah prayer.

Liars are pouring out invective on me;

Their lying tongues are like a pack of dogs out to get me,

barking their hate, nipping my heels—and for no reason!

I loved them and now they slander me—yes, me!—

and treat my prayer like a crime;

They return my good with evil,

they return my love with hate.

6–20  Send the Evil One to accuse my accusing judge;

dispatch Satan to prosecute him.

When he’s judged, let the verdict be “Guilty,”

and when he prays, let his prayer turn to sin.

Give him a short life,

and give his job to somebody else.

Make orphans of his children,

dress his wife in widow’s weeds;

Turn his children into begging street urchins,

evicted from their homes—homeless.

May the bank foreclose and wipe him out,

and strangers, like vultures, pick him clean.

May there be no one around to help him out,

no one willing to give his orphans a break.

Chop down his family tree

so that nobody even remembers his name.

But erect a memorial to the sin of his father,

and make sure his mother’s name is there, too—

Their sins recorded forever before God,

but they themselves sunk in oblivion.

That’s all he deserves since he was never once kind,

hounded the afflicted and heartbroken to their graves.

Since he loved cursing so much,

let curses rain down;

Since he had no taste for blessing,

let blessings flee far from him.

He dressed up in curses like a fine suit of clothes;

he drank curses, took his baths in curses.

So give him a gift—a costume of curses;

he can wear curses every day of the week!

That’s what they’ll get, those out to get me—

an avalanche of just deserts from God.

21–25  Oh, God, my Lord, step in;

work a miracle for me—you can do it!

Get me out of here—your love is so great!—

I’m at the end of my rope, my life in ruins.

I’m fading away to nothing, passing away,

my youth gone, old before my time.

I’m weak from hunger and can hardly stand up,

my body a rack of skin and bones.

I’m a joke in poor taste to those who see me;

they take one look and shake their heads.

26–29  Help me, oh help me, God, my God,

save me through your wonderful love;

Then they’ll know that your hand is in this,

that you, God, have been at work.

Let them curse all they want;

you do the blessing.

Let them be jeered by the crowd when they stand up,

followed by cheers for me, your servant.

Dress my accusers in clothes dirty with shame,

discarded and humiliating old ragbag clothes.

30–31  My mouth’s full of great praise for God,

I’m singing his hallelujahs surrounded by crowds,

For he’s always at hand to take the side of the needy,

to rescue a life from the unjust judge.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Monday, August 17, 2026

By Monica La Rose

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Colossians 3:9-15

Don’t lie to one another. You’re done with that old life. It’s like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you’ve stripped off and put in the fire. Now you’re dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete. Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ.

12–14  So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

15–17  Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness.

Today's Insights

Paul instructed believers in Jesus to live a faithful and fruitful “life worthy of the Lord and [to] please him in every way” (Colossians 1:10). Using a metaphor of replacing old clothes with new, he commands us to “put to death” our worldly, sinful habits (3:5-9) and adorn Christlike virtues (vv. 10-15). Paul singled out the importance of not engaging in harmful speech—“slander,” “filthy language,” and “lie[s]” (vv. 8-9). Truthfulness is essential for believers, for Christ is “the truth” (John 14:6). Elaborating in another letter, the apostle tells us to “stop telling lies [and] tell our neighbors the truth . . . . Let everything [we] say be good and helpful, so that [our] words will be an encouragement to those who hear them” (Ephesians 4:25, 29 nlt). When we “[speak] the truth in love” (v. 15), we bless others. And we’ll “[grow] in every way more and more like Christ” (v. 15 nlt).

How do I forgive someone who has hurt me?

Plague of Lies

Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices. Colossians 3:9

“What a cruel act to be untruthful,” Daniel Ladinsky once wrote in a poem that contrasts relationships built on trust with those damaged by lies. Inspired by German theologian and monk Meister Eckhart, he described truthful, loving words as “wonderful spices mixed into the days.” But lies are like earthquakes in the mind and poison to the soul: “Havoc is created in the mind that can no longer trust someone once loved . . . . a plague is spread by one who cannot tell the truth.”

The imagery of a plague spread by falsehoods might seem stark. But to take speech seriously resonates with how our words and their impact are described throughout Scripture. When Paul explains to new believers the difference between life before and after their union with Jesus, words take center stage. “Do not lie to each other,” the apostle emphasizes, “since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self” (Colossians 3:9-10).

There are many reasons to be tempted to lie or distort the truth. Sometimes we might think it’s the best way to protect ourselves or others. But through Christ’s love, through His Spirit at work in our hearts, we learn a different way—one transformed by “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (3:12). And we learn how forgiveness and love can create the kind of trust and peace that brings rest to our souls (v. 15).  

Reflect & Pray

How have you seen damage caused by a lie? How does forgiveness and love help you live with honesty?

Loving Savior, please help me bless others with words that can be trusted.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Monday, August 17, 2026

Are You Discouraged in Devotion?

A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” — Luke 18:18

When the rich young ruler asked Jesus how to win eternal life, Jesus didn’t respond with anxiousness or concern; he made no attempt to keep the ruler there with him. He simply stated what the ruler had to do: “Sell everything you have. . . . Then come, follow me” (Luke 18:22). Our Lord never pleaded. He never cajoled or entrapped. He simply spoke the sternest words mortal ears ever heard, then left it alone.

Have you ever heard the Lord say something stern to you? If you haven’t, I question if you’ve ever heard him say anything at all. Jesus Christ says a great deal that we listen to but do not hear. When we do hear, we find that his words are amazingly hard.

If I have listened deliberately to Jesus when he’s said something difficult to me, I know that I can’t just explain it away. It’s something meant specifically for me, something which demands I make a choice. The ruler understood the choice Jesus was giving him. He heard Jesus’s words, thought about what obeying them would mean, and decided he couldn’t do it. He didn’t go away from Jesus defiantly; he went sadly, with a broken heart. The ruler had come to Jesus full of the fire of earnest desire, and Jesus’s words froze him. Instead of producing enthusiastic devotion, they produced heartbreaking discouragement.

There was a reason Jesus let the ruler leave in this dejected state: our Lord knows perfectly well that once his word is heard, sooner or later it will bear fruit. The terrible thing is that some of us prevent it from bearing fruit in our present lives. I wonder what we will say when we do make up our minds to be devoted to him. One thing is certain: he will never shame us for our past refusals to hear him.

Psalms 97-99; Romans 16

 

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

For the past three hundred years men have been pointing out how similar Jesus Christ’s teachings are to other good teachings. We have to remember that Christianity, if it is not a supernatural miracle, is a sham. 

The Highest Good, 548 L

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft

Monday, August 17, 2026

Guaranteed Disclosure - #10331

Scripture:  1 Corinthians 4:4

Every once in a while the monotony of driving the Interstate is broken by some interesting signs. Sometimes I'll see one and my mind will get going, and it will process what I saw and I'll think about it for several minutes. I remember one in particular. There was a big, old truck speeding down the Interstate and it had in bold letters this sign: "Guaranteed Destruction of Confidential Files and Records." Well, that got me going! There was also a phone number. I didn't write it down; I didn't actually have any need for their services. But there was a number to call if you wanted all your confidential things destroyed. I thought about who might want a service such as that. I brainstormed some intriguing reasons and some intriguing people who might want to call that number. Guaranteed destruction! Actually, there's another sign that interests us even more.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Guaranteed Disclosure."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from 1 Corinthians 4, and I'll begin reading at verse 4. Paul says, "My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness, and He will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time, each will receive his praise from God."

This phrase that brings to light the hidden things and exposing the motive of men's hearts in the original Greek has the thought of turning something inside out; opening all the closets, showing what no one else has seen before. In other words, God is going to expose every secret. Now, there might be some who think they've destroyed all the evidence. The fellow driving that truck, he had that sign that said, "Will destroy your confidential files and records."

Did you know that no matter who destroys them on earth, God still has His copy? He knows every detail of every one of your financial dealings, every financial transaction, and every business transaction. He knows the letters you have written that you want no one else to see. He knows your motives, your websites. He's recorded every idle word, every angry word, and every dirty word. We think we got away with it because no one else knew. If God knows, you're caught, and He does. And so will everyone else one day.

That's why the Apostle John says, "Walk in the light as He is in the light." It's so freeing to be able to live saying, "I've got nothing to hide." Live without sinful secrets. You don't have to worry then if the closets come open. There's nothing there to hide. Live lives that are relaxed and confident, because you've got no fear of discovery; you don't have to keep looking over your shoulder. When you're living within the limits, you don't have to keep looking in the rearview mirror to see if the law enforcement is coming over the hill.

Again, some of the most liberating words in the world; look in the mirror, "Nothing to hide." Isn't that awesome?

God's sign says: "Guaranteed Disclosure of Confidential Files and Records." So, live the kind of life that isn't afraid of everybody knowing, because they will.

Luke 23:1-25, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily:Don’t Give Up

The next time you lack the will to go on, seek healthy counsel! You won’t want to.  Slumping people love slumping people. We love those who commiserate and avoid those who correct. Yet correction and direction are what we need when we’re tired.

I discovered the importance of healthy counsel in a half-Ironman triathlon. After the 1.2 mile swim and the 56-mile bike ride, I didn’t have much energy left for the 13.1 mile run.  Neither did the fellow jogging next to me.  He said, “This stinks. This is the dumbest decision I’ve ever made.”

I said, “Good-bye!” I knew if I listened too long, I’d start agreeing with him. I caught up with a sixty-six-year-old grandmother who said, “You’ll finish this—stay in there!”

Which of the two describes the counsel you seek? Proverbs 15:22 says: “Refuse good advice and watch your plans fail; take good counsel and watch them succeed!”

Don’t give up. And get some good advice!

From Facing Your Giants

Luke 23:1-25

Pilate

1–2  23 Then they all took Jesus to Pilate and began to bring up charges against him. They said, “We found this man undermining our law and order, forbidding taxes to be paid to Caesar, setting himself up as Messiah-King.”

3  Pilate asked him, “Is this true that you’re ‘King of the Jews’?”

“Those are your words, not mine,” Jesus replied.

4  Pilate told the high priests and the accompanying crowd, “I find nothing wrong here. He seems harmless enough to me.”

5  But they were vehement. “He’s stirring up unrest among the people with his teaching, disturbing the peace everywhere, starting in Galilee and now all through Judea. He’s a dangerous man, endangering the peace.”

6–7  When Pilate heard that, he asked, “So, he’s a Galilean?” Realizing that he properly came under Herod’s jurisdiction, he passed the buck to Herod, who just happened to be in Jerusalem for a few days.

8–10  Herod was delighted when Jesus showed up. He had wanted for a long time to see him, he’d heard so much about him. He hoped to see him do something spectacular. He peppered him with questions. Jesus didn’t answer—not one word. But the high priests and religion scholars were right there, saying their piece, strident and shrill in their accusations.

11–12  Mightily offended, Herod turned on Jesus. His soldiers joined in, taunting and jeering. Then they dressed him up in an elaborate king costume and sent him back to Pilate. That day Herod and Pilate became thick as thieves. Always before they had kept their distance.

13–16  Then Pilate called in the high priests, rulers, and the others and said, “You brought this man to me as a disturber of the peace. I examined him in front of all of you and found there was nothing to your charge. And neither did Herod, for he has sent him back here with a clean bill of health. It’s clear that he’s done nothing wrong, let alone anything deserving death. I’m going to warn him to watch his step and let him go.”

18–20  At that, the crowd went wild: “Kill him! Give us Barabbas!” (Barabbas had been thrown in prison for starting a riot in the city and for murder.) Pilate still wanted to let Jesus go, and so spoke out again.

21  But they kept shouting back, “Crucify! Crucify him!”

22  He tried a third time. “But for what crime? I’ve found nothing in him deserving death. I’m going to warn him to watch his step and let him go.”

23–25  But they kept at it, a shouting mob, demanding that he be crucified. And finally they shouted him down. Pilate caved in and gave them what they wanted. He released the man thrown in prison for rioting and murder, and gave them Jesus to do whatever they wanted.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Sunday, August 16, 2026

By Marvin Williams

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Psalm 141

A David Psalm

1–2  141 God, come close. Come quickly!

Open your ears—it’s my voice you’re hearing!

Treat my prayer as sweet incense rising;

my raised hands are my evening prayers.

3–7  Post a guard at my mouth, God,

set a watch at the door of my lips.

Don’t let me so much as dream of evil

or thoughtlessly fall into bad company.

And these people who only do wrong—

don’t let them lure me with their sweet talk!

May the Just One set me straight,

may the Kind One correct me,

Don’t let sin anoint my head.

I’m praying hard against their evil ways!

Oh, let their leaders be pushed off a high rock cliff;

make them face the music.

Like a rock pulverized by a maul,

let their bones be scattered at the gates of hell.

8–10  But God, dear Lord,

I only have eyes for you.

Since I’ve run for dear life to you,

take good care of me.

Protect me from their evil scheming,

from all their demonic subterfuge.

Let the wicked fall flat on their faces,

while I walk off without a scratch.

Today's Insights

Scripture has much to say about the power of our words. A familiar New Testament passages is James 3:1-12. According to James, keeping control of our tongue is difficult. However, before we lose hope in being able to speak good words to one another, consider what David says in Psalm 141. 

Here, tucked in the middle of his other requests, the psalmist asks God to “set a guard over [his] mouth” (v. 3). He desires to live a life that contrasts with the evildoers around him (v. 4), a life that welcomes words of truth from others. He says, “Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness; let him rebuke me—that is oil on my head” (v. 5). Today, God can help us use our words well and speak truthfully to others.

Wounds That Build and Heal

Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness; let him rebuke me—that is oil on my head. Psalm 141:5

According to research, Gen Z can detect a false compliment from a mile away. While the intention might be kindness, the members of that generation value something deeper: genuine respect and honesty. Not looking to be flattered, they want to be believed in. When truth is spoken, they feel respected, taken seriously, and are challenged to grow. But this is likely true for most of us.

Psalm 141:5 gives voice to this wisdom. David wrote, “Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness; let him rebuke me.” In his prayer to God, he asks that he would welcome loving wounds from friends as kindness (v. 5; see also Proverbs 27:6). David was intimating that real love doesn’t dodge difficult conversations. It tells the truth, not to shame people but to help them be drawn to God and not “be drawn to what is evil” (Psalm 141:4). This passage reminds us that wise, truthful feedback isn’t about tearing others down but building them up.

Let’s not fear receiving correction from the right sources, and let’s not shy away from offering it either. We don’t need more sugarcoated words. We need people who are willing to speak the truth in love. Sometimes the words that sting the most are the ones that build us, heal us, and help us become who God made us to be.

Reflect & Pray

Why can it be hard to offer correction to other believers? How do you respond to loving correction from others?

Dear God, please help me to give and receive wise feedback and correction as gifts of Your grace.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Sunday, August 16, 2026

Does He Know Me?

He calls his own sheep by name. — John 10:3

Does he know me when I have failed to know him (John 20:11–16)? When Mary Magdalene saw Jesus outside his tomb, she didn’t recognize him. But he knew her: “Jesus said to her, ‘Mary’” (v. 16). The instant Mary heard her name, she cried out, “Teacher!”

Why was Mary weeping outside Jesus’s tomb? Not because she knew about Jesus, but because she had a personal history with her Lord. It is possible to know all about doctrine and not know Jesus. The soul is in danger when intellectual learning outstrips intimate touch with him. Doctrine was nothing more to Mary than grass beneath her feet. Any Pharisee could have made a fool of her doctrinally, but none could ridicule away the fact that Jesus had cast seven demons out of her. And yet for Mary, Jesus’s blessings were nothing in comparison to himself.

Does he know me when I have stubbornly doubted (John 20:24–29)? Have I been doubting something about Jesus—an experience others testify to but which I haven’t had? The other disciples told Thomas that they’d seen Jesus, but Thomas doubted. “Unless I see . . . I will not believe” (v. 25). Thomas needed the personal touch of Jesus. When our Lord’s touch will come, or how it will come, we do not know. But when it does come, it’s indescribably precious. Jesus told Thomas, “Reach out your hand and put it into my side,” and Thomas replied, ‘My Lord and my God!’” (vv. 27–28).

Does he know me when I have selfishly denied him (John 21:15–17)? Peter had denied Jesus Christ three times, yet after the resurrection, Jesus appeared to Peter alone. He restored Peter in private, and then he restored him before the others. And Peter said, “Lord, you know that I love you” (v. 16).

Do I have a personal history with Jesus Christ? The one sign of discipleship is intimate connection with him, a knowledge of Jesus Christ that nothing can disturb.

Psalms 94-96; Romans 15:14-33

 

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

The Bible does not thrill; the Bible nourishes. Give time to the reading of the Bible and the recreating effect is as real as that of fresh air physically. 

Disciples Indeed, 387 R

Psalm 108, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Doubt Storms

Sometimes I wonder…how can our world get so chaotic? And I sometimes wonder why so many hearts have to hurt? Do you ever get doubt storms? Do you have turbulent days when the enemy is too big, and the answers too few? Every so often a storm will come, and I'll look up into the blackening sky and say, "God, a little light, please?"

The light came for Jesus' disciples. A figure came to them walking on the water. It wasn't what they expected. Maybe they were listening for a divine proclamation to still the storm.  One thing is for sure, they were not looking for Jesus to come walking on the water. "It's a ghost,' they said and cried out in fear." And since Jesus came in a way they didn't expect, they almost missed seeing the answer to their prayers. And unless we look and listen closely, we risk making the same mistake!

From In the Eye of the Storm

Psalm 108

A David Prayer

1–2  108 I’m ready, God, so ready,

ready from head to toe.

Ready to sing,

ready to raise a God-song:

“Wake, soul! Wake, lute!

Wake up, you sleepyhead sun!”

3–6  I’m thanking you, God, out in the streets,

singing your praises in town and country.

The deeper your love, the higher it goes;

every cloud’s a flag to your faithfulness.

Soar high in the skies, O God!

Cover the whole earth with your glory!

And for the sake of the one you love so much,

reach down and help me—answer me!

7–9  That’s when God spoke in holy splendor:

“Brimming over with joy,

I make a present of Shechem,

I hand out Succoth Valley as a gift.

Gilead’s in my pocket,

to say nothing of Manasseh.

Ephraim’s my hard hat,

Judah my hammer.

Moab’s a scrub bucket—

I mop the floor with Moab,

Spit on Edom,

rain fireworks all over Philistia.”

10–11  Who will take me to the thick of the fight?

Who’ll show me the road to Edom?

You aren’t giving up on us, are you, God?

refusing to go out with our troops?

12–13  Give us help for the hard task;

human help is worthless.

In God we’ll do our very best;

he’ll flatten the opposition for good.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion

Saturday, August 15, 2026

By Tim Gustafson

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

Exodus 20:8-17, 20-21

Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Work six days and do everything you need to do. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to God, your God. Don’t do any work—not you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servant, nor your maid, nor your animals, not even the foreign guest visiting in your town. For in six days God made Heaven, Earth, and sea, and everything in them; he rested on the seventh day. Therefore God blessed the Sabbath day; he set it apart as a holy day.

12  Honor your father and mother so that you’ll live a long time in the land that God, your God, is giving you.

13  No murder.

14  No adultery.

15  No stealing.

16  No lies about your neighbor.

17  No lusting after your neighbor’s house—or wife or servant or maid or ox or donkey. Don’t set your heart on anything that is your neighbor’s.

 Moses spoke to the people: “Don’t be afraid. God has come to test you and instill a deep and reverent awe within you so that you won’t sin.”

21  The people kept their distance while Moses approached the thick cloud where God was.

Today's Insights

The Ten Commandments set up principles for God’s people, the Israelites, so they’d flourish. The first four commandments emphasize single-minded devotion to God (Exodus 20:3-11). The last six outline how devotion to God should shape human relationships (vv. 12-17). At the heart of these commands is showing respectful honor to all (Matthew 22:37-40). 

Society flourishes when there’s respectful care for all people, including parents and the elderly. The command to honor parents (Exodus 20:12) doesn’t mean that people should remain in damaging relationships with parents or others or should minimize harmful behavior, for we’re also called to be truthful. But our Creator wants us to recognize that each person is made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27) and therefore we should desire every person’s well-being and respect them.

Living Out God’s Love

Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. Exodus 20:12

Branden’s father was dying of cancer in his fifties. Wanting to help, Branden talked his parents into moving in with him so he could assist them. His dad loved the tropics but could no longer travel, so Branden got creative. He landscaped a pond behind his house, stocked it with fish, and installed a waterfall that tumbled over rocks. He trucked in three loads of beach sand, added banana trees, lights, and tiki torches, and built an awning for shade. His dad spent his last days enjoying a backyard island paradise.

Branden’s actions reflect the kind of harmony between parents and children envisioned in Exodus 20. There, God through Moses instructed the children of Israel, “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12). That directive grows out of the commands to love and respect our heavenly Father (vv. 3-8) and bridges to the last five commands, which instruct us how to love and respect our fellow human beings. Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t covet (vv. 12-17).

Honoring parents might come easily for some. For others, it’s extremely difficult. There’s too much pain and distrust. Old wounds refuse to heal. We can commit them to God our Father, who understands that pain. He enables us to live in His love.

Reflect & Pray

What does it mean for you to honor your parents? What obstacles might you face to do that?

Heavenly Father, show me how to honor others, especially when that seems difficult.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

Saturday, August 15, 2026

Signs of the New Birth

You must be born again. — John 3:7

How can someone be born when they are old?’ Nicodemus asked. . . . Jesus answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit’” (John 3:4–5). When someone dies to every self-righteous impulse, to their religion and their virtues and everything they’ve been leaning on apart from Jesus Christ, then they may be born of the Spirit and receive into themselves a life that was never there before. This new life manifests itself in conscious repentance and unconscious holiness.

“To all who did receive him . . . he gave the right to become children of God” (1:12). Is my knowledge of Jesus based on personal spiritual perception or on what I’ve heard others say? Do I have something in my life that connects me to Jesus Christ as my savior? The bedrock of any spiritual history must be personal knowledge. To be born again means that I see Jesus with my own eyes.

“No one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again” (3:3). The new birth brings with it a new power of vision that enables me to discern God’s rule. Am I discerning it? Or am I merely hunting for miraculous signs of his kingdom? When I am born again, I see that his rule was there all along.

“No one who is born of God will continue to sin” (1 John 3:9). Have I stopped sinning, or am I merely trying to stop sinning? To be born of God means that I have received from him the supernatural power to stop sinning. The Bible never asks, “Should a Christian sin?” It says emphatically that no one born of God will continue to sin. The effect of the new birth in us isn’t simply that we receive the power to stop sinning; it’s that we actually stop sinning. First John 3:9 doesn’t mean that we can’t sin; it means that if we obey the life of God in us, we needn’t sin.

Psalms 91-93; Romans 15:1-13

 

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

Am I getting nobler, better, more helpful, more humble, as I get older? Am I exhibiting the life that men take knowledge of as having been with Jesus, or am I getting more self-assertive, more deliberately determined to have my own way? It is a great thing to tell yourself the truth.

The Place of Help